Home Before Midnight

by Virginia Kantra

When her job with best-selling crime author Paul Ellis leads her back home, Bailey Wells becomes a suspect in a murder investigation when Paul's wife is killed in their new house, forcing her to team up with a hardened police detective to clear her name. Original.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Suspense, Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra is the author of thirty books of women's fiction, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

Kindred spirits and Anne of Green Gables fans, look for Anne of a Different Island , coming January 20, 2026.

Her latest release, The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale , a contemporary reimagining inspired by Dorothy's adventures in Oz, follows Kansas graduate student Dee Gale as she flees personal heartbreak and public humiliation to enroll in the writing program at Trinity College Dublin (the Emerald Isle!).

Meg and Jo , a contemporary novel inspired by the classic story Little Women, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and was a People Magazine pick.

Beth and Amy (May 25, 2021) "continues her delightful 21st-century retelling of Little Women...Kantra’s compulsively readable update will attract a whole new group of readers, as well as satisfy Alcott devotees."—Publishers Weekly

Her stories have earned numerous awards including two Romance Writers of America's RITA (R) Awards, ten RITA nominations, and two National Readers' Choice Awards.

Carolina Dreaming, the fifth book in her Dare Island series , won the 2017 RITA (R) Award for Best Contemporary Romance - Midlength and was named one of BookPage's Top Ten Romance Novels of 2016. Her work includes the popular Children of the Sea series and, in e-book format, The MacNeills stories.
*
I love to connect with readers! Find me on Facebook and Instagram.
And for exclusive content and news of my latest releases,
join my mailing list.

Reviews

[Alp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping romantic suspense story.

The aspect of mystery/suspense in this book had me engrossed and it kept me wondering and guessing what was going to happen next. I certainly had no idea who the killer was and I felt like I couldn’t read fast enough to find out.

Virginia Kantra does a great job of creating strong and dynamic characters. I enjoyed both main characters although Bailey could be a bit annoying at times.

The romance part was very well-written. I loved the chemistry between Steve and Bailey and also the fact that their romantic relationship grew slowly yet steadily. The better they got to know each other, the more their feelings for one another grew. The way their romance bloomed really did work for me.

All in all, this was a good read for me. I enjoyed the well-balanced mix of sweet romance and nail-biting suspense. I’m sure RS fans will like this one like I did!

["E" · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty straightforward semi-romantic suspense. Bailey was said to be very intelligent, but really she came off as really stupid about her life. She had no savings? No home? Nothing? Totally dependent and trusting of her boss, Paul. I didn't get it. She was also a major doormat, unless the plot called for her not to be.

There was a major editing error in the middle of the book. In one scene, we see the detective talking about a character's death - like it was not a surprise which was really weird to read. In the next scene however, a character is still debating whether to call 911 to report the character's death. Then in the following scene, the detective gets a call informing him that X was dead and it was played as a shock. This was really bothersome and I can't believe this got through multiple levels of editing.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked it :) Great summer reading pick!

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters and complexity in a small amount of text were up to Kantra's normal high standards. I really struggled with the stupidity of Bailey and Steve's blossoming romance in the midst of an investigation, as it put them both at so much risk.

[Janeiowa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Kantra's novels and even this one from 2006. She does great characters and plots that keep me reading.

[Ebony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great romantic suspense read, good characters, good writing. Loved this book

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Tasneem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well written book. I liked the heroine, she is smart and determined to get the to truth. I like how she is contrasted against her mother and sister and their small-town, southern thinking. I liked the scene with Steve's daughter Gabby, where Leann is so insensitive about her colour and Bailey totally does damage control. That was nicely done.

I liked Steve too. He and his motives are nicely brought out - as was the guilt of Macon and Clegg's cover-up. It took me a while to see where ehe fitted to the scene.

[Shirley J · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for an interesting mystery that's not terribly complicated along with a boy-meets-girl and girl-gets-boy subplot tossed in, you might enjoy Home Before Dark. Even though it wasn't difficult to figure out who was the murdered about half-way through the book, it took longer to figure out why. Kantra's talent lies in conveying the personalities and in some cases, the appearances, of her characters.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heroine has low self-esteem. Set up to be accused of being the murder when her boss's wife is killed.

She wises up and falls in love with a Deputy Sherriff who is investigating and has emotional problems of feel in guilty about his wife's death from Cancer.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this really a 4 star book? Almost certainly not. But I got four stars of enjoyment out of it. Timing is everything.

I also enjoyed the main character's desire not to be the "dumb dead girl." No one does anything risky and improbable. It's refreshing.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big improbability factor but she kept me reading so will round up from my 3.5 rating.
The big switch in Bailey was hard to believe.
Good romance-suspense read.
Small, Southern town law enforcement. NC

[Jacquie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from a terrific author!!

[MB (What she read)]

p. 192. Gave up. She's too stupid. He's too unprofessional, and that's stupid too. Plus, dated in a not good way.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Good, solid mystery with very engaging characters.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite, yet still enjoyable. Another quick in between reads.